EASTON — After splitting the primary two matchups, Oliver Ames and North Attleboro took their Hockomock League rivalry to a different degree within the Div. 2 second spherical Monday night time.
With 15 lead adjustments and two ties over the second half, it was the No. 7 Tigers that got here away with an exhilarating 48-47 victory over No. 10 Crimson Rocketeers in entrance of a packed residence gymnasium.
“You play anyone 3 times, it’s actually tough,” Oliver Ames coach Brian Costello stated. “(North Attleboro) is a really proficient crew and really robust. Clearly, they’d dimension on us, so we knew it was going to be a battle each recreation this season towards them.”
It was senior Brie Antebi off the bench that got here away with a key steal with 14.2 seconds left to setup a vital last possession for Oliver Ames (17-5).
After North Attleboro (14-8) knocked the ball away to depart simply 2.6 ticks left, Costello drew up a play for the go-ahead basket.
“Clearly, we all know Avery Gamble’s the main focus level and I did nonetheless assume that she may get a clear look off that, however we additionally knew they’re most likely going to hedge on her or bump her that first time,” Costello stated. “So, we simply had Brie slip down. That’s one I’ve had for a extremely, actually very long time and I’ve used lots and truthfully the primary time it labored.”
Gamble (30 factors), a senior captain, was coated, so Antebi got here free within the paint and was capable of put within the last shot to place the Tigers up for good at 48-47 as Massive Crimson missed a close to full court docket heave on the buzzer.
“It’s the very best feeling on this planet,” stated Gamble about her fellow senior getting the go-ahead bucket. “I couldn’t be happier about it. I really like Brie. She’s an incredible participant and he or she simply hustled so exhausting and the truth that she had the arrogance to make that layup after perhaps lacking a number of within the first, however that’s the one which mattered probably the most.”
Within the third, the groups traded leads all through earlier than junior Emma Faria drilled a three-pointer to place North Attleboro up 38-36 after three.
Within the fourth, no crew led by greater than three factors as each groups had been unable to place the opposite away.
Within the first half, North Attleboro had a powerful begin and led as a lot as 13-2 within the first quarter and ended with a 15-5 benefit as freshman Sarah Casey scored 5 of her 13 within the first. She additionally grabbed 10 boards.
After that, Oliver Ames got here alive and outscored Massive Crimson, 17-6, with Gamble netting 9 and senior captain Maeve Horsman scoring the bucket to make it 22-21 earlier than the half.
“It felt nice,” Gamble stated about getting again into the competition after a gradual first quarter. “We had been down by 10 to start out the second quarter after which we began combating again and that’s the form of adversity that we want. The perseverance not to surrender.”
Oliver Ames will faceoff towards the winner of Wednesday’s Whitman-Hanson/Fontbonne contest on a date/time to be decided.
